In Past Show

About Fausto Melotti

Working in an array of materials, including wood, wire, plaster, and ceramics, Fausto Melotti is known for creating curious Surrealist sculptures in which symbolic forms express what has been described as the “inner realms of human experience.” Melotti’s artistic career spanned the mid-20th century, and he is thought to have been influenced by fellow Italians Georgio de Chirico and Lucio Fontana, the latter a contemporary of Melotti’s at the Academia de Belle Arti di Brera in Milan. Melotti’s wire mobiles and “cages” have been compared, respectively, to the work of Alexander Calder and Alberto Giacometti. With their repeating motifs and rhythmic structures, these works also reflect Melotti’s strong interest in musical composition. Later in his career, Melotti’s work became increasingly figurative, a turn described by some critics as a postwar return to humanism.